TROLLS: Doll Removed After Complaints
Hasbro has removed a Trolls doll from stores after people complained that it was sexually inappropriate.
The move comes after an online petition, which gathered 300,000 signatures, called for pulling the “Trolls World Tour Giggle and Sing Poppy” doll.
The petition reads, “When you push this button on the doll’s private she gasps and giggles. This is not okay for a child’s toy! This toy needs to be removed from our stores.”
A video of a mom pressing the doll’s “button” and activating its voice has gone viral, prompting outrage.
But according to Rolling Stone magazine, the controversy was fueled by conspiracy groups. The magazine writes that “the claim was partially debunked by Facebook after it went viral, with independent fact-checkers labeling it as ‘partly false’ — the button between its legs wasn’t actually a button, but a sensor that was intended to be activated when the doll sat down.
In a statement to CBS News, JulieDuffy, senior vice president of global communications at Hasbro, said, “This feature was designed to react when the doll was seated, but we recognize the placement of the sensor may be perceived as inappropriate.”